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What Women Want

I saw this on Pinterest, and I don’t think I agree. I don’t like Starbucks, naps, Disney movies, yoga pants, wine, or girl’s night. For simplicity, that means I do like compliments, cuddling, bubble baths, and (online, window) shopping. But why are those things restricted to women, not just people? I know plenty of males who enjoy many of those things. And why is the background pink- is that really necessary? I know it’s just an e-card, but it wouldn’t be one if people didn’t accept that women are like this, and men are like that, and ‘never the twain shall meet’.

The general jist of the card seems to be saying, ‘in order to understand me you must only know the things that I like and then provide them for me’. If this about understanding someone then where is love, friendship, family, intellectual stimulation, laughter, work, exercise? It’s another example of creating a quite superficial and perhaps false stereotype of what women are, and what they like. In some ways, it feels like it says- ‘if you are a woman and you do not identify with or like these things then you are not normal because I am telling you this is what women like’. It’s just the next step on from what teenage girls are repeatedly told to like, and be like. But strangely, it’s not that far on from childhood either; naps? Disney movies? It’s a bit.. infatilising. In addition, it’s very commercial; Starbucks, Disney, and shopping?

It just made me pause for a moment. I’m sure there are many women who DO love all those things, but I’m sure they have other meaningful things in their life too- and each individual is different. That list doesn’t sum anybody up, let alone women in general.